


Squidmas At The Cabin

by Rexsketches



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Christmas fic, Developing Friendships, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Other, Squidmas fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:54:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28352001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rexsketches/pseuds/Rexsketches
Summary: Yellow-Green embarks on their new tradition of spending the Squidmas holiday at Stealth's cabin in the woods. A perfect atmosphere to unwind, relax and create stronger friendship bonds with one another.
Relationships: Bamboo/Stealth (Splatoon), Rider/Metry (Splatoon), Rider/School Asymmetry (Splatoon)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Squidmas At The Cabin

**Author's Note:**

> A few days late but better late than never! This fic has been in the works for a few months now and I'm glad I've finally had the time to sit down and write it all out.

Grey skies overhead with overcast clouds herald the threat of falling snow soon. The cold wind softly rustling the branches of forest trees, barren and bare for the winter months until spring. Not a sound of birds chirping permeated the majestic silence, save for the crunching snow under moving skis approaching ever so closer from a distance. The humming engine of a snow mobile edged out of the pathway from the woods, pulling with it the creaking cargo of a wooden sled in it’s wake, it’s skis also marking the untouched snow underfoot. The vehicle carrying it’s four occupants and tugging it’s load slowed to a halt in the midst of a large clearing among the trees. A rugged, two story cabin lay at it’s centre.

Shutting off the engine, the driver of the snow mobile lifted his visor with a gloved hand, turning back to the other occupant who’d been riding behind him. His green eyes caught movement from behind the figure, to the sled where two more figures were rousing after their long journey. The driver lifted his voice to be heard, a white puff breaking the aura as he spoke against the air.

“We’re here!” Stealth called. Sliding off the vehicle he made his way to the back sled where Blazer and Bamboo had ridden the entire journey from the edge of the city. Rider, who’d been sitting behind him on the snow mobile, made his own effort to dismount booted feet into the snow. In his current getup, Rider looked the absolute perfect figure for such a driver. His black leather jacket, zipped up all the way to prevent a chill, matched the aura of the black helmet, along with his usual combat boots in toe. The final touches of a red scarf and matching black gloves improved the appearance even more. 

Whereas Stealth himself, nothing much had changed in terms of clothing aside from donning long pants. Blazer’s bubbly attitude also matched her outfit as far as Stealth could see. Fuzzy earmuffs, mittens, and a cute fur trimmed skirt to match her winter jacket. Standing upright in the sled with hands on hips, Blazer’s infectious smile peered down at the final member of the team. Eyes peering out from under her hat, Bamboo sat in the sled with as many layers of clothing and winter gear she could muster to keep herself warm. Along with a heavy blanket wrapped around her.

“Surely it wasn’t that cold” Rider’s voice held amusement. It was hard for Stealth to tell if their team captain was smiling or not, for he still had not removed the helmet. Likewise, Stealth pulled his own off his head, breathing out and running a hand over his green tentacles which were currently tied in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck.

“Cold enough..” murmured Bamboo. Rising from her position she continued to clutch the blanket to her. However, from Stealth’s vantage point, he could see Bamboo’s equally green eyes surveying the surroundings. Mainly how her eyes passed from tree to tree. Stealth learned in their time together as a team that Bamboo also held an affinity to the outdoors much like he had. Nature was as if a second home to them both, a call they could not refuse to answer. Although, from the looks in her eyes, Stealth noted Bamboo was likely checking out the area for the species of trees and the wood it could produce for her carvings. As he blinked away for a sec, he saw Blazer regard him with a raised eyebrow. Rubbing the back of his head nervously, Stealth proceeded to address the group again.

“H-how about we get out of the cold and get settled in?” he explained. Yellow-Green had spent most of the morning gathering themselves together, spending half the afternoon loading the sled. Of which, the supplies and items had been loaded laid under the protective tarp, the contents providing various shapes under their cover. Aside from food, which Stealth had provisioned his family’s cabin with days before, the sled carried personal belongings to each team member. An assortment of other various items lay among the contents much needed for their stay during the holiday. Including a box of Squidmas decorations Blazer adamantly said were necessary. With the four of them together, it wouldn’t take long to move the contents from the sled into the cabin.

“Lead the way!” Blazer chimed, hopping down from the sled with a skip in her step. Rider, having finally taken off the helmet, nodded in agreement and fell into step behind Stealth. Bamboo with the remains of glistening snow on her wide hat took up the group’s rear in her usual silent fair. No doubt again taking the time to survey the surroundings. 

Snow crunched underfoot, stamping down at the doorway to the cabin’s entrance. A study oak door greeted their presence, the hinges swinging with a groan as Stealth swung the door to reveal the insides of the abode. Stepping in first, Stealth walked into the din of the first room of the cabin, the heavy smell of it’s rustic nature filling his senses with early childhood memories. A lingering smell of charred wood from the stone fireplace also added it’s scent to the cozy room, one very typical of a cabin. The wooden floorboards were worn in areas of heavy traffic, and in certain areas, especially near the fireplace to the left of the room, were rugs of deep, drab hues. A couch and a few chairs were laid in the room, denoting that it also functioned as the cabins living room. An open frame led into another room, which Stealth knew was the eating area with it’s equally rustic table and chairs. Another, wider frame led to the kitchen, with a staircase in the wall that lead up to the sleeping quarters. Near the door to the entrance was a hidden opening that when pulled up by the heavy, iron ring allowed entry to the cellars.

“Welcome to my cabin!” Stealth beamed. Flicking his fingers on a light switch shed light onto the room. Despite the room having a number of large, glass windows, the angle of the sun at certain points of the day made the room appear dark. Stealth watched Blazer bounce in with amazement, her green eyes wide with excitement. Rider’s expression clearly read of impression of the place, his head bobbing with every glance. 

“Mm, nice...” a low voice mused from behind the other two. Stealth almost had to strain to hear Bamboo making her comments. A smile passed his lips the moment he saw her eyes dart to the fireplace. No wonder. The cabin’s aura was likely drawing her in like a magnet. Either that, she was wondering when a roaring fire would get going.

“Place might be a tad chilly” Stealth explained again. Rubbing his back tentacles, the co-captain strode towards the fireplace. “I’ll get a fire going to really warm this place up and make it more homey for you all. In the meantime, make yourselves at home as you see fit” he beamed. With a log of wood in his hands he gestured at his team mates with further instructions. All three seemed intent.

“Let’s get the sled offloaded first. I’d like to put both vehicles back near the woodshed before sunset...” Stealth stopped. Pivoting on his foot he regarded only Blazer and Rider now within the room with him. A flurry of activity had left the doorway in a rush. Blinking, the yellow-green Inkling wondered where Bamboo had gotten off to in such a short amount of time, until it hit him like a brick.

“Woodshed....right” He sighed. Blazer and Rider couldn’t help but chuckle. Say the magic word that involved wood and Bamboo would be there in a flash as if she teleported. Which, Stealth easily believed she could given how fast the wood carver’s reflexes were and the amount of run speed she equipped to all her gear.

“Oi, guess it’s the three of us doing the hard work as we leave Bamboo to her own devices” Rider managed a smile. He’d come forward to clap a hand on Stealth’s shoulder with a hearty pat, causing Stealth to wobble uneasily on his legs. Sometimes Rider didn’t know his own strength during physical interactions. Or maybe he did? Either way, Rider somehow always made him feel like a weakling in his presence. Luckily Blazer was there to offload the sting as she tugged each boy’s hand in hers.

“Dig out my box first!” Blazer said with a glint in her eye. “No offence to you or your family Stealth but this cabin...” the girl crinkled her nose. Stealth saw her eyes dart to the empty corner near the fireplace. “Is in a desperate need of a Squidmas makeover! You don’t even have a tree put up yet, or lights up, or...” she continued to ramble. Stealth could only chuckle as he headed back outside.

...............

A roaring fire of flame burned brightly and hot a few hours later. Through the glass of the cabin windows, long shadows of purple reach out long onto the snow, casting it’s first coat of waning light on the heels of sunset. The orange reflections on the clouds in the sky mirrored the multitudes of hues the fireplace created, further adding to the coziness of the evening.

Humming an upbeat Squidmas tune, Blazer busied herself hanging each of her team mates stockings above the mantle of the stone fireplace. Bells on the ends of her long, green tentacles jingled softly with the flows of her movement, each shining a different colour from silver to red, to green and gold. A step back from the mantle made the bells chime again, the girl quickly scrubbing a long sweater sleeve over her forehead to beat the heat of the fireplace away. Glancing at each green stocking in a row, Blazer placed hands on hips to survey her finest handiwork amid her ambitious afternoon of decorating.

Coloured the same green hue as their team colour, the stockings had been carefully sewn by her own hand with love and respect for each member of her team. Her own bore the image of her beloved .52 gal deco, complete with bedazzled beads glittering in the firelight. The image for Rider’s sock provided a pair of twin dynamos, black and gold, crossed over one another like a coat of arms from the days of yore. A Jet Squelcher boasted Stealth’s stocking, including a small vile of toxic mist beside the weapon. Just in case he forgot. And last but not least rounding out the group came Bamboo’s proud Heavy Splatling in applique touches. Proud handiwork all around, from the careful stitching to the pain-painstakingly delicate names written in Inklish cursive. Of course, all had been written in glitter paint too for the added holly, jolly effect of Squidmas kitsch.

“Perfect” Blazer mused to herself. Giving the room a final look for adjustments, she took in what the afternoon hours has accomplished. Lights were hung around the interior of the living room’s walls, some of which spilling into the eating area. Paper snowflakes hung from the ceiling, making the cozy atmosphere a winter wonderland all in one go. A few lights had been hung outside as well on the balcony to illuminate the winter night. Her only unhappiness came as a sigh as she flopped down on the couch, her view peering towards the empty corner of the room. Squidmas wasn’t Squidmas without a Squidmas tree.

“It’s late. We’ll get a tree tomorrow”.

Blazer suddenly jerked upright as a voice penetrated her moment of thinking, like a voice reading her private thoughts. Turning her head to her chiming bells, Blazer had not heard Bamboo come in from the cold. Not even so much as a peep or the creak of the front door. A bundle of wood laid in her arms much like a swaddled baby, with the top log just barely reaching the bottom edge of her chin.

“You nearly scared me!” Blazer laughed, sitting more comfortably upright and smoothing out her skirt. “Maybe we need to put a couple of bells on you.” she laughed again. For an added effect she wiggled the ends of her long tentacles to tingle the bells in a noisy chime. Bamboo appeared unaffected, dropping her hoard of logs away from the other pile already gathered in place. Blazer assumed Bamboo has assembled a personal bundle of the perfect carving wood and would fight Stealth tooth and nail not to burn a single log.

“No, thanks” Bamboo drawled. She moved to the front of the fireplace to drape her gloves on the mantle for drying. Undoing her coat buttons, Bamboo shrugged out of her winter jacket and crouched towards the fire, tottering her body on the back of her heels. Blazer could see beads of sweat glowing at the edges of Bamboo’s temples when the firelight caught their edges. Blazer tsked with the shake of her head. Working up hours of sweat was still no relief from the cold for Bamboo it seemed.

“Seems quiet in here.” Bamboo’s gaze kept to her wringing hands near the fire’s warmth. Blazer rose from her seat to plop down by her friends side on the carpet, her head tilting to catch Bamboo’s expression. Her friend’s monotone voice sometimes went hand in hand with her stone cold appearance, as if Bamboo had been carved from an oak wood herself. But Blazer knew the truth of the matter. Having been Bamboo’s first true friend when they met years back in turf, she knew Bamboo possessed an attitude that was unlike what her outside showed. Bamboo was quiet, calm and very mature for her age, yet she knew when to laugh at a joke, knew when to smile. And it seemed to Blazer, Bamboo also held a soft spot for certain things. Getting her to admit those soft things, however, was like pulling teeth from a Salmonid. 

“The boys are in the cellar” Blazer explained, rocking back and forth with her knees to her chest. The bells continued to jingle with her movements. “Nerding out on who know what. Stealth went to show Rider something down there and they haven’t been up in hours since” Blazer chuckled at the thought of her male team mates being up to their noses in some dusty tech down there that Stealth’s family had squirrelled away. Whatever had caught their interests, Blazer was happy that the two were finding time to bond. In her opinion, Rider needed a few more down to earth guy friends. Stealth seemed like a perfect friend match. 

Speaking of match...thought Blazer.

“If you’ll excuse me” Blazer apologized, standing back up. Bamboo merely nodded her head and kept to her task. If Blazer timed this right, Bamboo would still be at the fire when all was said and done, without her friend catching wind to her secret activity. Making her way to the cellar’s hole, Blazer skipped down the narrow, wooden steps, creaks and groans following in her wake. At the bottom, her socks touched the cold concrete floor as her eyes were flooded with the dim light illuminating the cellar. Rider and Stealth stood turned away from a table where a large object made of canvas and poles lay, their attentions now upon Blazer. The girl noted Rider wearing apron, along with Stealth’s hands clasping tools. If she didn’t know any better, the boys were tinkering with some sort of weapon, and from Blazer’s keen eye it looked like...a tenta brella? Since when did the team have a tenta brella user? Did it belong to Rider? No, by the camo print of the canopy, it had Stealth’s aesthetic written all over it. Cod, what sub weapon would be forget to use now? Whatever the case, the brella wasn’t on her mind at the moment. 

“Heeeey Rider!” Blazer chirped. Moseying up to her leader’s side, she batted her eyelashes in a pretty fashion. “I need you to help me with a huuuge favour. A tiny, small teensy favour” she requested. Rider only chuckled, folding his arms over his chest. Rider might have appeared intimidating, but Blazer knew what buttons to push to make him melt like hot wax. 

“I have one last decoration to put up, but I’m just too short” she pouted, pushing her two fingers together. In truth she wasn’t the shortest of the group, that title was Bamboo’s to claim. Yet beside towering, Rider and hefty Stealth, she did at times feel small in comparison.

“Alright” Rider sighed. Taking off his apron, he placed it down on the table, giving Stealth a nod in the process. “I’ll be back in a bit” he grumbled. Stealth army saluted his friend off.

Leading the way in a noisy clattering of bells, Blazer allowed Rider to follow her up the staircase to the upper regions of the cabin. A hallway up at the top held two doors, each leading into a bedroom, with another door to the left that lead onto the balcony as seen from outside. Blazer stopped in a particular corner of the hall, standing in an area past the door frame to the balcony’s entrance, yet before hitting the hallway completely. Standing on tiptoes she motioned to the heavy oak ceiling beam above her head, clearly showing Rider it wasn’t physically possible for her to add more decorations.

“Put this up there?” Blazer asked. Releasing her hand, she opened her palm outstretched for Rider’s view showing the decoration she wished to place. Snug in her palm lay a few strands of kelp, light and dark green colours mingling with the appearance of being crisp. A ruby red bow adorned the ornament, with traces of gold trimming along the edges. It didn’t particularly look festive, however it’s meaning at Squidmas held the most power

“...Blazer is that...mistlekelp?” Rider inquired. His nose crinkled as his eyebrows furrowed, clearly not understanding why of all things she wanted that particular decoration planted in the area. Or perhaps he did? Rider seemed a little on edge.

“Yeah, and?” Blazer asked. She didn’t wait for Rider to open his mouth again before slipping the object into his waiting hand, again pointing up to the beam where she wanted it placed.

“Stealth might know his own cabin like the back of his tentacles, but if I shove this somewhere he won’t think to look until it’s too late, it’ll be perfect” she beamed, puffing out her chest. All week leading up to the trip she’d gone over many scenarios for the plan she wanted to take action with that involved this inconspicuous piece of shrub. Having been given a tour of the cabin early by Stealth, she decided her plan could finally go into action.

“Let me get this straight. You want me to hang this in an area Stealth will least expect...so you can catch him unawares and give him...a kiss?” questioned Rider. His brain simply did not compute Blazer having secret feelings for Stealth given the circumstances. The two were polar opposites of each other and seemed to enjoy being merely friends. But crushes? Nah, couldn' t see it. Besides, from his own personal observations within the team and interactions at Ammoknights, it seemed more logical that...

“No!” with a whine, Blazer crossed her hands over one another to form an X in front of Rider’s view. Was her team leader that dense? “Not me! He needs to find the mislekelp the exact moment he’s with Bamboo”. From the look on his face, Rider looked startled by the sudden turn of events. Cod, did Rider actually think this entire time she had developed feelings for Stealth, and vice versa? “Stealth and Bamboo. Bamboo and Stealth!” Blazer punctuated. Her hands moved from left to right on each name to get her point across. “Rider, how long have they gone unnoticed in your radar?” she asked.

“Okay listen here” Rider placed hands on hips and gave his best lecturing voice. “Just because two of our friends have been spending an abundant time together doesn’t automatically mean they’re suddenly head over heels for one another or dating!” he spat. If Bamboo and Stealth wanted to have a secret relationship with one another, that was there own damn business and none of Rider’s. Why Blazer had to be so adamant and wanting to toss herself into their affairs like a third wheel was beyond him.

Blazer stood in front of Rider with arms folded, looking none to pleased while tapping a foot. Her eyebrows were furrowed in annoyance as she tilted her chin upwards in a high and mighty fashion. There was no way she’d change her mind now, no way she’d even budge from her spot until she saw the mistlekelp hung. With a sigh of resignation, Rider grumbled as his deft fingers hung the last decoration on the ceiling beam.

“Tch!” Pulling hands away he motioned to the object for a final view from Blazer. “It’s up. Promise me you’ll leave those two alone, got it?” he demanded. He jabbed a finger in Blazer’s direction to make good on his threat “And I mean it! If Stealth so much as makes a peep to me about you bothering him I’ll make sure you play a dynamo of my choosing for an entire month. None of your bedazzled gals and splatlings!”

“I hope Jelly Claus puts dead coral in your stocking this Squidmas Rider. Hmph!” With a pivot, Blazer kept her head held high as she made her noisy, jingling way from the upper rooms back down the stairs, leaving Rider shouting after her.

“Oh come on, do you still believe in such thing as Jelly Claus?” Rider received no answer. “Blazer? Oi, Blazer!”

..............

An uneventful night came and went, the entire crew of Yellow-Green simply too tired from their excursion from travelling and decoration to stay up late that night. Even someone as high energy as Blazer found it hard to keep her eyes open to focus on any night time activities. Tucking themselves away for the night, Rider bunked a room with Stealth, while the two girls shared a room together. Blazer nattered on about what had to be done in the morning for final preparations until she fell fast asleep. Bamboo listened intently, not really caring about baking cookies or the like, her mind mainly focused on the excitement of heading into the woods to cut a fresh tree down. Soon after Blazer had fallen asleep then she had too a while later, not use to going to bed early, but rather staying up late nights most times back home to finish a carving. Either that, pulling an all nighter or two when her attention became fully engulfed in her artistry.

Rider and Stealth didn’t talk as much as they laid in their beds, letting a few minutes roll by before jabbing a question or two to the other. Rider inquiring mostly on aspects he’d seen in the cabin, like the large photo hanging in a gilded frame of two older Inkling males standing between the massive catch of a large grey looking fish in overalls. Stealth explained the fish was something called a Cohock Salmonid with no other real explanation as to why his family had hunted the thing. Bamboo saw the photo hours earlier and horrifically blurted out ‘barbaric’ when she saw the image. It seemed to upset her greatly, with Stealth confused with no clue as to why the image evoked her feelings. She didn’t seem to answer when asked and stalked off. Rider didn’t seem to understand either and offered no further comment other than a shrug.

When twilight dwindled away, streaks of sunrise glinted off the sparse clouds in an almost seemingly cloudless morning. No snow ushered to fall from the sky as had the previous day, with the winds non-existent with hardly a breeze. Cold air remained with a frozen ground and crunchy snow for the day. Squidmas Eve was shaping up to be perfect.

“Rise and shine you sleepy heads!” giggled a sing song voice. A heavy force hit Rider’s chest like a blow from a Dynamo, the breath wheezing out of him as his eyelids shot open awake. Through groggy eyes, he grappled to glimpse the squid form of a certain bubbly team mate of his, all wide eyed and bushy tailed. The bells on her tentacles were twinkling noisily like the blaring alarm of a clock. He heard Stealth in the other corner of the room make a similar surprised start as the squid form super jumped from Rider’s chest onto his. 

“Five more minutes...” drawled Stealth in a sleepy voice. His body turned over to bury his head under his pillow, trying to escape the squid making all the ruckus. Rising to sit in his bed, Rider scrubbed his dark hands to his face.

“Bamboo needs to get a tree and the sooner you two are awake and eat breakfast, the sooner we can go out looking” Blazer cried. Her two large tentacles snatched Stealth’s pillow to pull with all their might to try and pry the fluffy object from his grasp. “And we can’t do that without Stealth here to lead us into the woods. He needs to get up and at ‘em!” she huffed. The pillow budged and Blazer quickly enveloped it into a firm hug, holding it away from Stealth as he bolted upright with a frown. Blazer snicked a little. The guy looked god awful in the morning with his tentacles in bedhead fashion and his sheets all in disarray.

“We’re suppose to be on vacation and here you are waking us up at the crack of dawn..” yawned Rider. Stretching his arms up over his head, the leader of Yellow-Green couldn’t help but chuckle internally at the irony of his words. Making his team wake up early for practices was his usual call of duty, and now the one time where they could spend a morning without his wake up call, a team mate was here to take over. Figures.

Blazer threw Stealth’s pillow at Rider before leaping into the air for another super jump, obvious to Rider’s half awake eyes the girl was meaning to come bother him some more. However, even before she’d made it halfway across the room did Bamboo leap in and snatch Blazer’s squid form out of the air in such a spectacle of accuracy. Rider hardly had the time to blink before he watched Bamboo wrestling with Blazer’s squid form in her arms. The frown on Bamboo’s face was impalpable as she stood in her warm, winter pyjamas. 

“They’re up already!” Bamboo intoned. Thrusting her arm, she dangled a squabbling Blazer by one tentacle, of which, the squid didn't seem to be too pleased being hung upside down in such a firm grasp. Bamboo turned her head about the room, bowing her head slightly to Rider, then to Stealth. Rider’s sideways glance over to Stealth showed him that his co-captain was now fully wide awake with wide eyes staring at Bamboo. A slight flush filled Stealth’s cheeks as he quickly pulled the bed sheets around his body.

“Sorry if she bothered you. I tried to stop her” Bamboo apologized. Both Bamboo and Blazer were speedy Inklings in their own right, with Bamboo being nimble and fast on her feet despite her muscular legs appearing a different story. With certainly the nimble and speedy appearance, Blazer could zoom in squid form like no other on the team. The difference between the two girls was that Bamboo was speedier in reaction time given her reflexes as a splatling user. Blazer’s speed came only from her need to bolt out of places fast when she’d been caught or cornered. Rider knew for a fact Blazer’s S-shaped hair clip carried a boasting of full swim speed. Bamboo held full run speeds, however Rider did not know which gear of hers possessed them. 

“Put me down!” whined Blazer. Bamboo ignored her best friend by gently tossing the squid out of the room door and into the hallway. Both boys watched as the squid transformed back into her humanoid form mid-air, her feet touching down on the wooden floor panelling to take off at a run down the hall. Bells were the only sound of her left as they quietly jingled down the stairs to the lower floor.

After Bamboo left the room with yet another apology, Stealth and Rider set to work getting dressed to head down for a morning meal. Upon arriving downstairs, they discovered the sight of the table in the dining room laid out with breakfast ready in an organized fashion. Seemed Blazer awoke even earlier than the rest, preparing a warm meal for her friends to eat in regards to the cold day ahead. Laid out in the middle of the table were plates stacked with fluffy, thick pancakes. About the table were bowls of oranges and other exotic fruits Inklings ate on a daily basis, along with a pitcher of a golden syrup for the pancakes. Hot chocolate and tea also waited piping hot in kettles for consumption. When Blazer made meals for the team, she went all out almost as much so as the Cardigans did. 

Once breakfast had been consumed and dishes promptly cleaned and put away, the team set about gathering themselves for the day ahead. Squidmas Eve would be a busy one, yet by the end of their chores, they would all be able to relax as soon as they procured the final last touch.

...............

“What do you mean, you brought a chainsaw?!”

Morning sun in the sky spilled it’s rays onto the sparse, snow covered field of trees sprawled for miles around in all various shapes and sizes. Some small pines dotted the landscape, while giant firs loomed out of the wilderness overhead. Yellow-Green were standing around a medium sized tree they’d all agreed on was perfect for the cabin. Good number of strong branches grew in layers upon the pine, with needles a dark green against the snow. The snowmobile and it’s sled were parked nearby to await their cargo, seemingly specs in the vast wooded landscape.

“If you expected me to chop down a fir tree with nothing but that axe Stealth had at his cabin you’re sorely mistaken” Bamboo huffed. The aforementioned chainsaw lay gripped in Bamboo’s professional hands with relative ease as her three team mates stood wide eyed and flabbergasted. Neither one had expected their quiet and reserved team mate handled such a dangerous tool, especially given she’d brought it along for the weekend without a mention of it until now. No wonder she’d spent the previous day out in the woodshed.

“B-but!” Stealth sputtered. He kept his distance from Bamboo given the chainsaw in her hands. It made him a tad nervous looking at it, much like the nervousness he felt when Bamboo stood close to him with her splatling running. Secretly in Ammoknight’s testing range, he'd seen every type of splatling used with ease in Bamboo’s calloused and rough hands, everything from the heavy class, the minis, to even the ballpoint and nautilis. He’d learned she owned a hydra within her arsenal and could use it to the same skills degree as an X ranked splatling user such as Vintage and Omega. Maybe could even compete against the two and win in a 1v2 battle. But a chainsaw? Well, he figured a chainsaw was similar in function to a splatling. A heavy class tool that took both hands, precision and years of practice. Except, a splatling couldn’t tear you apart in two and kill you like a chainsaw could.

“All that axe is good for is splitting wood. A tree like the one we’re after would take me days alone to chop down.” Bamboo explained. 

Rider placed a hand on his chin and closed his eyes in thought, mulling over the logic presented to them. “Makes sense,” he murmured. He’d been just as surprised to learn of Bamboo’s chainsaw, yet Stealth could see Rider wasn’t exactly nervous over the revelation. But than again, Stealth knew his team captain never grew nervous around Bamboo’s presence when it concerned her weapons. Perhaps if Rider learned she had a Hydra up her sleeve and was secretly a high ranking S+ player with it, maybe he’d change his mind on being more wary of her...

Blazer shrugged at the suggestion and made her way back to the snowmobile, clearly uninterested in the cutting process now that they had found a tree to her liking. Stealth made a final last-ditch pitch to try and persuade Bamboo in using his axe for the tree.

“I’m a woodcarver, not a cod darn lumberjack!” Bamboo mumbled, pulling the cord of the chainsaw to produce a thunderous rumble. The roar of the chainsaw’s motor hummed as Bamboo revved it to the proper speed, plumes from the gas engine faintly flowing away on the breeze. As fast as he could, Stealth jumped back behind Rider to keep out of her and the chainsaws way.

“I hate the cold” she shivered. “The faster I can be out of the snow the sooner I can be back indoors.” Her next words were drowned out by the sounds of the saw blade contacting with the wooden trunk of the tree, sending splinters of wood splaying in all directions. “Which is why I brought my chainsaw” she yelled over the din, seemingly cutting an angle into the thick trunk with expect ease. The noise of wood shattering beneath a blade stopped as she pulled back, the chainsaw still rumbling it’s vibrations and hungry for more food. Changing her position she tackled the tree from the other side, cutting another notch in similar fashion to the same angle. The chainsaw moved back and went silent, Bamboo super jumping to her friends gathered around the snowmobile as the tree jerked, tipped and finally slid down into the snow with a crash. Green needles flew about to litter the snow and air, branches flailing about.

“Such a shame, it’s perfect wood for carving too” Bamboo beamed with a smile. 

...............

Evening on the cabin had fallen at last during the night of Squidmas Eve. The tree was up and trimmed, gaudy lights flashing against the soft darkness of the cabin’s interior. Wrapped gifts in colourful paper were all laid out under the tree in an organized fashion, name tags bearing the receivers of such wonder. Every member of the cabin had three gifts to their name each, save for one individual who suddenly had four extra added to his name. One glance at the tag for the name of the receiver and whom the giver had been allowed for a tease to begin.

“Ooh, Rider is Mr. Popular” Blazer’s voice teased. Rider’s face turned a bright red the moment he looked away from his phone screen to his team mate squatting by extra gifts in his name. With a curse under his breath, he averted his gaze as he tried to come up with some excuse for the matter.

“Y-yeah so?” Rider internally cursed. Embarrassment flooded through him even more till the tips of his tentacles turned a shade of pink against his green. “From Metry and the girls. Got a problem with that?” he huffed, crossing his hands over his chest. Rider held a deep soft spot for each member of the Cardigans, especially the team captain Metry, who at the start, been a thorn in his side much like Goggles. Over time in coaching the Cardigans between practices with his own team, he’d become closer to the girls to strike up a friendship of sorts between all four. Metry of which seemed to pull at his confused heartstrings. In his embarrassment, Rider dropped his usual cold guard down which allowed Blazer to get a glimpse of his phone screen in folded arms.

“Looks nice on her Rider” Blazer complimented. In a rush, Rider snapped the phone up to his face to view the screen, eyes wide in surprise and the pink tinges on his features growing even more. Metry had replied back to his text with a snapshot of her in a leather jacket similar in make to his own. Only in white. The same Inky White Rider he’d given her for this Squidmas. She must have opened the gift early out of excitement, yet, the warmth that flowed through Rider upon seeing Metry’s smiling face in the photo filled him with happiness. The accompanying text in reply produced a huge, dopey grin on his face. 

'Anniki~ I nearly cried when I opened your gift [crying emoji]. I love it soooooo much [heart emoji] I can’t wait till you get back from holidays so we can play turf together. Matching team captain jackets ftw [sparkling heart emoji] Merry Squidmas! Miss you [crying emoji] Love you [sparkling heart emoji] [kiss emoji]'

“Rider and Metry who’d have thought!” Blazer swooned. A shit eating grin appeared on her face the moment Rider lowered the phone from his view.

“Bugger off and get to bed or Jelly Claus won’t come and leave you presents!!” Rider exclaimed, as a shrieking Blazer turned to squid form and zoomed away around the room’s corner as fast as she could.

..............

“Hey uh, do you know where Bamboo is?” Stealth entered the living area from the kitchen, his eyes wandering around the room for the familiar sight of their fourth friend with no leads at all. A mug of hot green tea, Bamboo’s favourite, brewed steaming in his hands. He figured when he’d return with her order she’d be sitting near to the fire place near the pile of wood. Except on his return, she’d gone with no trace. Blazer didn’t seem to be anywhere either.

“Upstairs, I think?” Rider replied. He seemed busy with his phone at the moment, dark hands tapping the screen with his face in total concentration. Writing a text no doubt. “Something about needing fresh air or something..” the leader or Yellow-Green added. “I dunno. For all I know she could be back out in that damn woodshed again. Seems to spent most of this holiday in there rather than with us” Rider frowned. For someone who didn’t like the cold, Bamboo sure seemed to make an exception to go out of her way for the woodshed, even to cut wood. 

“If you do go upstairs, keep it quiet, will you? Blazer went to bed” Rider glanced up with a smirk on his lips. “Jelly Claus can’t come if she isn’t sleeping and all that” he chuckled. Stealth shook his head. Unbelievable, but just like Blazer’s personality to believe in a being such as a merry old soul as Jelly Claus, the jolly jellyfish in red who wiggled like a bowl of jelly, delivering presents to woomies who were good all year, and gave dead coral to veemos who had been naughty come Squidmas.

Stealth sighed and headed upstairs to check first. Since coming to the cabin he wanted to spend a few moments with her alone in solitude. With Blazer dogging them in her every waking moment he wished he could at least get Bamboo alone for one single moment to himself. 

...............

“Ah, you are out here” The voice roused Bamboo out of her thoughts, her body pivoting away from the balcony’s wooden railing to meet Stealth. A subtle smile broke her lips as she regarded her team mate quietly closing the door behind him, a small hop on booted feet indicated the chilly air had hit him. Despite his hoodie, Stealth scrunched his hands into the front pocket quickly, his breath, as she noticed, turned into icy plumes in the air.

Snow continued to gently fall, glistening as it caught the lights from the cabin before winking out into the darkness of dusk. Bamboo moved over to allow Stealth a place to stand beside her by the railing in order to admire the view. Some would say the quiet, snow covered forest that lay all around in the dark was anything but breathtaking, however it held it’s own special charm during the eve of Squidmas.

“I figured with the drop in temperature you’d stay near the fire” Stealth turned his gaze upwards to the falling snow. Bamboo noted how at ease Stealth looked as he leaned forward on the railing’s frame, his green eyes sparkling at each snowflake and the calm grin he wore. She averted her gaze suddenly feeling as if she’d lingered too long looking at him, a slight flush creeping on her cheeks.

“I needed some fresh air” she spoke softly. Mentioning the cold triggered her body to shake, shiver in realization just how cold it was. Her thoughts had forced all feeling to evade her senses for the time being. Pulling her arms from the railing, Bamboo hurled them around her body, hugging herself to keep the shivers at bay. Something warm suddenly wrapped itself around her body, her head jerking to the side to see Stealth in her vicinity. A warm smile spread his lips as he pulled his hoodie around her body more tightly. Bamboo could see he was now only wearing the t-shirt kept underneath.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for the pair. Falling snowflakes suspended in air at a time, with two sets of green eyes glaring at one another, unblinking in the still of time. A rush of blood roared in her ears, her sense wanting to glance away and break contact. She couldn’t however. She kept on staring right back at Stealth, and he at her. Often times when they were alone together, they’d done this staring contest until one of them finally flinched to break contact. This time she wanted to say something to him, wanted her heart and soul to spill out before him to further their relationship. Yet, Bamboo couldn’t so much a muster the words on her tongue, couldn’t form her lips to speak. All she could do was stare back and shiver from the cold in his hoodie as the snow fell upon them.

“L-let’s go back inside” suggested Stealth. Again, the habit of rubbing his tentacles was back, the stuttering in his voice fully prominent. Bamboo swore a similar shade of flush was apparent on his own cheeks, though it was hard to judge with only the glow of the cabin as light. She shook her head with a nod, all words absent from her tongue still. Slowly, she followed her team mate side by side from the balcony back inwards, however, with herself leaning a little into his personal space. In this moment, she didn’t want to leave Stealth’s side, cold or not. Just a few more minutes alone with him like this would be perfect. No words were even needed when they were alone together.

With her head down, Bamboo had not noticed Stealth’s sudden stop just beyond the door frame. Her frame crashed gently into Stealth’s back, her feet quickly pulling her body back. A tug at both wrists prevented her from backing back up onto the balcony, and with a quick look down, she noted Stealth’s hands clasped her own. Not tight, but enough to stop her flight. Biting her lip, she tilted her head upwards to view the reason for his sudden stop. Swallowing hard, her eyes caught hold of the object dangling from the beams of the cabin’s top floor ceiling.

Mistlekelp

“Blazer” They said simultaneously. Bamboo’s cheeks felt heated as she swung to face Stealth, he in turn looked just abashed as she. Neither one was willing to break eye contact as they again stood facing one another in silence.

“S-she’s not around here is she?” intoned Stealth. The nervousness of being observed along with his close proximity to Bamboo threw him into a sense of anxiety. His eyes darted to every corner of the top floor, expecting to hear those chiming bells clatter to announce her presence when she popped out of a shadow. “I-I guess this was inevitable to avoid. I-I um..” His nervousness continued to get the best of him as he started rambling.

“I h-had planned for a, ah, New Years kiss y-you see...” he began. His personal plan had been simple. Get Bamboo alone during their stay at the cabin and try for a first kiss before either of their team mates so much has caught wind of their relationship. Despite Squidmas, he’d originally planned to go through with it at New Year’s, the time when you were suppose to kiss the one you loved to ring in the new year. A new year for a new relationship. He got cut off before he could finish a good explanation.

In one step, very slowly, Bamboo inched herself forwards on her toes, tilting her chin upwards to reach Stealth’s face. Before he could make a protest, Bamboo seized his lips in a gentle kiss, her arms wrapping around his shoulders and neck to keep her balance from falling over. Catching his breath, Stealth hesitated his arms, shaking nervously before snaking them around Bamboo’s body to pull her closer.

“M-merry Squidmas Bamboo” Stealth stuttered as the kiss broke off. Bamboo laughed softly and leaned her head against his warm chest.

“Merry Squidmas to you too” she smiled.

..........

A slightly ajar bedroom door made the perfect spy hole for the eyes of a yellow-green squid peeking out. Unbeknownst to the two Inklings beyond the room, they were in fact being watched from the shadows.

“Heck yes, FINALLY!” Blazer whispered with the pump of her fist.


End file.
